Dong Mingzhu is a Chinese businesswoman who serves as Chairwoman of Gree Electric.
Dong Mingzhu: Education
• Whuhu University, Bachelor degree in Statistics
Dong Mingzhu: Early days
Dong Mingzhu is the youngest daughter of seven brothers of a working-class family. After finishing university, Dong worked as a technician in a chemical laboratory in Nanjing for fifteen years until the death of her husband.
Dong Mingzhu: Career
Widowed and with an 8-year-old son, Dong Mingzhu started working as a door-to-door saleswoman in 1990 in one of China’s poorest provinces, Anhui. Even so, its sales accounted for an eighth of the company’s total sales. This fact caught the attention of Gree’s first CEO, Zhu Jianghong, who supported his talent and promoted her in 1994 as head of sales. In 1996, Dong became the company’s deputy president, and in 2001 she was named the president.
The innovations that Dong introduced were part of her success among the company, such as breaking with the Chinese tradition of retailers not paying merchandise up front, forcing companies to incur debts. She also offered customers six years of service.
The success of Gree Electrics is due in part to her sales talent. In 2010, the company had three plants in China and three abroad, in Pakistan, Vietnam, and Brazil, as well as having plans to open two more plants in China and one in the United States.
Dong Mingzhu: Distinctions
Nothing found
Dong Mingzhu: Other facts
Dong Mingzhu is one of the principal shareholders of Gree Electric, as well as being one of its executives. In 2006, Dong published his autobiography, Regretless Pursuit, which became a bestseller in China.
